Morbid Angel - Abominations of Desolation (1991)^{Release ID: 2540}

Considering the year that Morbid Angel recorded Abominations of Desolation (1986), this certainly deserves a lot of credit for being way ahead of its time. With only two members in the band (Mike Browning - drums and vocals / Trey Azagthoth - all guitars), these US teenagers created an amazingly destructive death metal release filled with evil imagery and great musicianship from the brilliant Trey Azagthoth. As it turned out, they just weren't happy with the sound and shelved the project, waiting for the time when they'd be able to give their vision the production it deserved. While that time would come in 1989 when an incredible full line-up would unleash Altars of Madness onto the world, Abominations of Desolation would finally see the light of day (dark of night?) in 1991.

The question is, does this release hold any interest to fans of the band, considering all but one track (Demon Seed) would be re-recorded on future albums, in many cases under different titles. It's a difficult question to answer really. Firstly, I don't think any of these tracks can be considered superior to the eventual studio album versions. The production, while possibly not as bad as the band seemed to think, certainly lacks the power and clarity of later releases. The band would also make slight changes to all the tracks over the years that I personally think made them a whole lot better. Secondly, Mike Browning's drumming and vocals are just nowhere near the quality that Pete Sandoval and Dave Vincent would bring to Morbid Angel a couple of years later.

I can still put Abominations of Desolation on and enjoy it thoroughly, and I imagine if this were the only release that Morbid Angel ever put out, I (and many others I'm sure) would consider it an absolute classic. While it's difficult to call Abominations of Desolation an essential purchase today, I also find it extremely difficult to suggest that it's not worthy of praise and recognition. Way ahead of its time and containing stacks of Morbid Angel's best tracks in primitive yet still brutal form, this certainly has a solid place in the history and evolution of death metal.

This was recorded in 1986 but was shelved by the band as they faced some lineup issues and were unhappy with the sound of the album. It was heavily bootlegged but eventually was cleaned up and given an official release by Earache in 1991 and this is the version I have been listening to. It's got to be said that this seems to raise the bar as far as metal extremity went in 1986 and you can't help but wonder if the argument about the first death metal album would have been well and truly been settled if it was put out at the time of recording. The riffs here sound like something beyond the ultra-aggressive thrash metal that was being produced by the most extreme bands at this time and more like a whole new thing entirely, Trey Azagthoth proving that from the very get-go he was ahead of the curve when it came to writing death metal riffs. In fact the riffing and the solos are the major draw for me here, their sheer brilliance somewhat overshadowing the other aspects of the album. Lyrically Morbid Angel looked to the Necronomicon for inspiration and consequently the lyrics are very much occult-centric. As many other commentators have pointed out, the weak point is drummer / vocalist Mike Browning and his performance behind both kit and mic may well be the reason that Abominations of Desolation was shelved (and his leaving the band, although an altercation with Trey over a girl is also cited as the reason for the latter).

To choose to shelve the album was a brave move really when you think about it, after having put the effort into producing a debut record, then holding off until they considered themselves better placed to produce a worthwhile release must have taken a great deal of discipline. Rather than just wanting to see their name on a record sleeve they took the conscious decision to wait and that must be applauded as it shows a band willing to go the extra mile to get across their true vision rather than settling for less. Most of the tracks here (all except for Demon Seed I believe) have been reworked and released on later albums, proving that they never felt the material itself was weak, but rather it didn't come across as they had envisioned in this form. On the whole, I would say this is not merely a release of historical importance in the emergent death metal scene of the 1980s, but is a decent release in it's own right and the perceived weaknesses aren't complete deal breakers for me, as the material and guitar work is still strong enough to give the recording value.

I’ve always had a lot of time for this release. It’s really pretty amazing to think that it was recorded way back in 1986. They were clearly already ahead of their peers & I’m left thinking this would have been regarded as a classic release had it been released back then. But at the same time I’m glad it wasn't released because it would have taken away from the greatness of the band's subsequent releases. Trey’s lead & rhythm guitar styles are already so developed at this stage. He really did create a fresh & original take on the death metal riff. The drumming is a little primitive in comparison to Pete Sandoval’s advanced skills so that’s the most obvious weak point. You actually can’t hear the kick drum much at all. The production is obviously pretty raw but it's not off-putting. Browning’s vocals do the job well enough but they don’t quite compete with Dave Vincent’s performances in my opinion. All things considered I find heaps to enjoy here though. The lyrics & song-titles vary from the final versions quite a bit & when combined with the two hilariously over-the-top intro tracks the album seems to possess an identity all of its own. These songs have been a big part of my life & I find these rawer versions to have an endearing quality that makes them a nice alternative to the classic versions. I consider this a must for Morbid Angel fans.